According to the United Nations World Travel Organization, an estimated 700 million tourists traveled internationally between the months of January and September. That amount is more than double (+133%) the number recorded for the same period in 2021 and 63% of 2019 levels. It also puts the sector on course to reach 65% of pre-pandemic levels. Travel has been boosted by pent-up demand, improved confidence levels, and the lifting of restrictions in a growing number of destinations.
Authorities in multiple destinations around the globe have and continue to express concern over the risks posed by overtourism. Some governments implemented “tourist taxes” in 2022, and others will do so in 2023. Revenues from these new fees are expected to be for the use of fostering sustainable tourism along with other expenses generated by the influx of visitors. In this list we have just some of the travel destinations set to implement tourist taxes in 2023.
European Union
As of November 2023, non-EU citizens who currently don’t require a visa to enter Europe will be expected to apply for an ETIAS travel authorization. This includes travelers from the United States, Australia, the UK, and many others. ETIAS will require non-residents to pay an application fee of €7 and fill out a application form before traveling.
The process will be mostly automated and shouldn’t take more than 10 minutes to complete. Travelers will need to provide passport information and travel details, as well as answering some basic security questions. “Only in very exceptional cases could the ETIAS procedure take up to 30 days,” the Commission stated.
According to the Council of the European Union, a travel authorization will be valid for three years or until the end of validity of the travel document registered during application. Whichever date comes first, of course.
Thailand
Thailand is planning to introduce an 300 baht entry fee for foreign visitors. The tax will be implemented from April to fund the management of tourist attractions and cover accident insurance for visitors who can’t afford to pay medical bills, Yuthasak Supasorn, governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand, told AFP.
The fee will be incorporated into airfares, per a statement from government spokesman Thanakorn Wangboonkongchana.
Venice
Venice has been postponing a new tourist tax and as of this writing still does not have a defined start date. However, the amount of the tax to be paid for entry to Venice will be 3, 6, 8 or 10 euros. The amount will depend on the level of affluence of the day. The tax will be payable via a dedicated website or through a smartphone app that doesn’t yet exist. After paying, tourists will be issued a QR code to be presented in case of control.
Tourists who can provide proof of a hotel room, a bed and breakfast, or an apartment in Venice for more than one day will be exempted from payment. Relatives of a year-round Venetian resident are also exempted from the tax. The exemption will be provided based on the condition of registration on the site or application that will be dedicated to the tax.
The primary purpose of the tax is to better manage the flow of tourists in order to preserve Venice and allow those who are there to better enjoy their time in the city. The tax is also intended to relieve Venetians of the costs they now pay to maintain the city and its services. The official date of implementation for the new entry fee was originally scheduled for January 16th, 2023.
Valencia
The Community of Valencia is enacting a tax to be applied at the end of 2023 or in 2024. It will be a tax on tourism in the region, although with a moratorium for a year in order to wait for a “full recovery”.
The amount to be paid will be between 0.50 and 2 euros per person per day. The amount will depend on the category of the establishment at a maximum of one week. Those registered in the region itself will have to pay the tax, in case of staying in a place subject to the tax. However, the tax isn’t levied on overnight stays. In addition to hotels, campsites, rural houses and tourist homes, it also affects cruise ship passengers who stop in the region, regardless of whether they spend the night in the autonomous region or not.
The tourist tax in the Community will be, according to the project presented, a tax of autonomous rank. Initially it’ll be 100% subsidized with the possibility of being also charged by the municipalities. However, it’s unclear how the money collected in this way will be controlled.
Of all the large tourist towns, Valencia seems top be the only one that will apply the tax. Neither Benidorm, Alicante, Torrevieja, or Peñíscola have expressed any intention of claiming tax paymenbts.
The federation of leisure, tourism and gaming as the main Valencian tourism employers (Hosbec, APHA or Aptur, and others) have requested to reject the processing of this tax, considering that “it is not the time” to increase taxation during a time of economic uncertainty paired with inflation rising above 10%.
